Bulls face questions, Game 3

PHILADELPHIA -- Will Richard Hamilton play in the fourth quarter? Will Carlos Boozer score more? Will the Chicago Bulls respond to avoid losing two straight games for just the fourth time in 15 months?

More questions than answers emerged from Friday's morning shootaround in advance of the critical Game 3 against the Philadelphia 76ers. With their best-of-seven series tied at 1-1, the Bulls sound confident they can return to the defensive and rebounding mindset that led them to a league-best, 50-16 regular-season mark.

"I think we’re great, honestly," Carlos Boozer said. "We had a great practice yesterday. You don’t really get a loss out of your system until you win the next game. But we’re all highly motivated and that’s what we need to be."

Hamilton has yet to play in the fourth quarter of either game. On Thursday, coach Tom Thibodeau merely replied "just our rotation" when asked why Kyle Korver is closing games. On Friday, he expounded on the subject.

"Our whole team didn’t play well," Thibodeau said. "So you have to say, ‘Ok, the third quarter we had a problem.’ You’re looking at everything. That doesn’t mean it will always be that way. But we didn’t play well so we started looking for different answers. And we didn’t find them.

"Both guys are shooting extremely well. That’s what you can’t lose sight of. The hard thing with Rip is he missed so much time during the season. When he came back the last time, we kept his minutes at a number where we felt we weren’t risking anything. Kyle has played very well all season long. That group is used to finishing games. He could find himself out there. He just has to keep playing well."

Hamilton, who said he expects the 76ers to trap him coming off screens again, played the company line.

"Like I said from the beginning, however they need me, I’ll be there," he said. "That’s my responsibility as a player. I trust him as a coach."

As for Boozer, who has averaged just nine points in the first two games, he said the Bulls have one of the thickest playbooks in the league. But the secret for success is simple: Get the ball in the paint more.

"It will come with the flow," Boozer said. "Obviously, we run a lot of different plays. I would love to get the ball in the paint a little bit more. work a little more on pick-and-rolls. As long as we do it with more determination, we’ll be better."